Process for making shoes



Nov. '5, 1935. Q M R|DD0K PROCESS FOR MAKING SHOESv Filed March 17,- 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet l NGV. 5, 1935. M RlDQOCK 2,019,544

PROCESS FOR MAKING SHOES Filed March 17, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 f4 a Z7 NOV. 5, 1935. Q M, RlDDCK I 2,019,544

PROCESS FOR MAKING SHOES Patented Nov. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My present invention relates to an improved process for manufacturing shoes and more particularly to a process utilizing a center plate member in combination with an inner sole anvil member whereby certain pressure and forming effects are developed and coordinated which serve to provide a new and very durable type of shoe construction.

The present application is to be identified as l0 relating to subject matter disclosed in my previous application for Method of manufacturing shoes, led May 26, 1931, Serial Number 540,098. A brief statement therein deals with the diiiiculties existing in the particular field and the improvel5 ments sought for generally. In the course of further development work under actual production conditions there have been discovered certain new operations and elements whereby an improved product can be made in a more eiiicient manner of which the following purports to be an exact description.

The principal object of my invention is therefore an improved process for manufacturing shoes.

Another object is a process utilizing a center plate member adapted to induce certain bonding formations in the shoe sole construction.

Another object is a process of the above described characteristics in which an inner sole anvil member is utilized adapted to co-operate with said center plate member.

Still another object is a process of shoe manufacture for fixing a shoe upper skirt in association with an outer sole member without any stitching operation.

Still another object is a process of shoe manufacture adapted to secure an inner sole, an upper skirt, and an outer sole together without the use of any stitching means.

Still another object of my invention is a randed shoe sole construction with which a fabric member is incorporated without any stitching step adapted to act as a welt sole member and also adapted to prevent rand distortion when pressure and heat are applied on vulcanization.

Fig. 2 shows the upper and insole in lcross section with the upper partly broken away and with the wooden last of Fig. 1 removed and a metal anvil member inserted in place thereof whose periphery is slightly larger than that of the inner 5 sole member. K

Fig. 3 is a similar showing of the inner sole and upper in cross section with the metal anvil member mounted on a basel plate.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 and further l0 showing a center plate member in cross section disposed over the engaging upper.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 and further showing a fabric member -in cross section disposed over said center plate and loosely adjacent the bottom of the inner sole member.

Fig. 6 incorporates all of the elements shown in Fig. 5 with the addition of a top die plate shown in cross section which provides a cavity for an outer sole and has been filled with a rubber com- 20 position and the whole die assembly and shoe elements as shown are illustrative of the position of said members just prior to the application of pressure and heat for the iinal forming of the shoe.

Fig. 7 is similar to Fig. 6 with the exception of 25 showing the shoe and die units after pressure and heat have been applied and the shoe forming operation completed.

Fig. 8 shows a fragmentary cross section and elevation of a iinished shoe having been pro- 30 duced by this method with the die members shown in Figs. 2-7 inclusive.

Fig. 91s a longitudinal section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8 and particularly showing the association oi' the inner sole, upper skirt and fabric 35' with the outer sole as produced by this method.

Fig. 10 shows a reduced scale plan view of the die assembly as shown in Fig. 4 with the inner sole and upper portion of the shoe eliminated and particularly showing the sole portion of the anvil 40 member as indicated by the dotted lines, extend ing beyond the under edges of the opening in the center plate. l

Referring more in detail to the drawings, I have preferred to show my improved method of shoe 45 manufacture in successive steps and the description of the same will be accordingly dealt with but, prior to showing the actual formation of the shoe, I will first describe the die in which the shoe is formed. |0 indicates the base member of the B0 with dowel pins I3. An inner sole anvil member Il I4 comprising a vertically disposed supporting member I5 is provided with two vertically and centrally located dowel pin holes I6 which are adapted to engage over the dowels I3 located in the lower base plate I I. The top of the anvil I4 is constructed in the form of a sole shaped plate member I'I. This plate member I'I corresponds with the shape of the bottom of the wooden last I8 shown in Fig. 1, in all respects except that it is slightly larger in periphery.

There has further been provided a center plate member 24 constructed with openings 24a in each of its four corners which are adapted to effect the engagement of the plate 24 over the dowel pin portions 20a and provide for the seating of the said plate 24 upon the shoulders 20. When the center plate 24 is firmly seated upon the shoulders 20, there will be provided a vertical clearance of approximately .035 of an inch between its lower edge and the upper edge of the anvil plate member I1 which will be maintained at all points along the two respective peripheries. Attention is particularly directed to the center plate 24 which is provided with an opening 25 whose periphery coincides with the contour of the plate I1, the only difference being that the periphery of the opening 25 is slightly smaller than that of the plate member I1. The purpose of these respective proportions will be referred to further along in the recital of the' process.

An upper die plate I9 has nally been provided which is constructed with recessed openings 2| into which the upper end portions 20a of the dowel pins I2 may extend, provision being made for the plate I9 to contact upon the center plate 24. In the lower surface of the upper die plate I9 is located a cavity 22 in which the outer sole and heel portion of the shoe is formed, a detailed account of which will now be described.

Fig. 1 which shows the first step of my process illustrates a common wooden last I8 upon which is mounted an inner sole member 26 which is preferably a fabric material and which has its inner surface provided with a fabric topping and its outer surface provided with a rubber iilm. A shoe upper member 2l is now attached to the inner sole with the engaging skirt portion 21a secured to the exteriorsurface of the inner sole as viewed on the wooden last by adhesion or similar agency as the upper is lasted.

The next step in my process consists in removing the wooden last I8 and mounting the inner sole and shoe upper on the inner sole anvil plate I1 of the anvil member I4. As previously mentioned this anvil member plate I1 conformsfin contour to the sole surface of the wooden last I8 but is of slightly larger periphery and since the wooden last contour at its base agrees exactly with the periphery of the inner sole, the anvil plate I"I is correspondingly larger in periphery than the inner sole. The anvil member I4 is now mounted on the dowels lI3 located in the top of the plate II of the base I0 of the die as shown in Fig. 3.

The succeeding step consists in positioning the center plate 24 on over the dowel pins I2 so that their upper end portions 20 engage through the openings 24a of the center plate 24 and allow the edges of the opening 25 in the center plate 24 to rest upon the outer edge of the engaging portion 21a of the upper 21. 'Ihis step results in the assembly illustrated in Fig. 4.

A further step is shown in Fig. 5 which comprises the mounting and also the positioning of a rubberized fabric member 28 on the center plate 24. The outer edge of the fabric 28 extends beyond the opening 25 in the plate 24 all the way around the saidopening approximately as shown in Fig. 5, and the rubberized surface of the fabric 28 is disposed adjacent the inner sole 26.

Provision for the outer sole and heel member is next made and this comprises the lling of the cavity 22 in the upper die portion I9 with a rubber compound which is adapted to form a unitary member and for this reason is generally referred to as the outer sole 23. The upper die portion I9 is now positioned so that the openings 2I in its corners are brought into engagement with the dowel pin portions 20a and the inner bottom surface 30 adjacent the cavity 22 contacts with the extreme outer edge of the fabric member 28 as shown in Fig. 6, just prior to the application of heat and pressure.

Application of heat and pressure -is now made 2 to the die assembly as shown in Fig. 6, and the resulting formation and re-arrangement of the die parts is shown in Fig. 7 which will now be discussed in detail.

Subsequent to the application of heat and pressure it will be noted that the center plate 24 has become iirmly seated on the shoulder 20 of the dowel pins I2 and with this re-arrangement the inner sole 28 and engaging skirt portion 21a have been entered into the opening 25 in the 3 center plate 24, the full extent of which has been slightly minimized in order to maintain an exaggerated showing of the thickness of the fabric 28. As a means of more clearly analyzing this result, attention is directed to a consideration of the 3 previously discussed -proportions of the peripheries of the center plate opening 25, the inner sole 26, and the anvil plate 'I`I with respect to each other where it is to be noted that the anvil plate I1 is slightly larger peripherally than the opening 25 of the vcenter plate 24 and the opening 25 is slightly larger peripherally than the inner sole 26 thus allowing such an entering action to be induced on closer association of the center plate 24 and anvil plate I'I. y

It will be further noted that die plate I9 has become seated upon the center plate 24 with the re-arrangement of the fabric member 28 and the rubber compound sole 23 being of such a character that that portion of the fabric 28 located 5 between the center plate 24 and rubber compound 23 of Fig. 6, has become embedded upwardly in the rubber composition 23 as shown in Fig. 7. Inasmuch as this compressing action takes place along the periphery of all of the rub- 5 ber composition 23, there must be a downward intumescing of the inner rubber composition under the given heat conditions and this downward movement of the inner rubber composition 23 meets the upward movement of the inner sole 6 and engaging upper with the result that the inner sole and fabric 28 become partly embedded i'n the rubber composition and the engaging upper, corresponding inner sole area and corresponding fabric area become more definitely em- 6 bedded.

A further observation is to be made dealing with the purpose of the vertical clearance previously cited as provided for between the center plate 24 and the anvil plate I1 and must be con- 70 the upper die I9 or to force rubber composition and fabric between the center plate 24 andthe engaging upper portion 21a. The first condition is taken care of due to the fact that the outwardly extending fabric which has been indicated as 34 in Fig. 7, of the drawings, is uniformly compressed and to some extent pinched by die portion 30 of plate I9 the edge of which may be considered to act somewhat as a fulcrum against a certain amount of upward exing action of the tempered steel center plate 24 developing when the center plate is reacted upon by the anvil member I1 from below. The second condition is taken care of due to the fact that the engaging upper is pinched between the center plate 24 and the anvil plate I1 suiiiciently to prevent such bulging between the center plate 24 and the engaging upper 21a with just sumcient clearance being provided to prevent shearing of the upper itself and the rubber composition and fabric actually swell up around and just to this point of pinching which effect has again been slightly minimized in the drawings due to the exaggerated fabric showing.

The shoe as finally formed and viewed in ele- 4 vation would appear as having a randed outer sole with the upper skirt engaging with the randed area. In using the word rand as descriptive of this sole formation, it may be stated applicant discussed the definition of this word with respect to its application to his formation in his 'previous application for a process of shoe manufacture identified elsewhere, and with respect to which the present matter is to be considered as a continuing application. The word was used as referring to an inner raised portion formed on the upper side of the outer sole and is so to be considered here subject to slight modications which would appear on taking a cross section through the present randed sole. In cross section the final formation of the outer sole appears with a central portion in which the inner sole and fabric are partly embedded with a stepped up portion 32 corresponding to the portion directly over the skirt 21a and a further stepped up portion 33 directly over that portion of the center plate 24 indicated at 29 which projects inwardly beyondthe outer edge 30 of the recess 22 in the upper die plate I9. This last stepped up portion forms the rand 33 on the upper sole which is seen when the shoe is viewed in elevation and is continuous around the entire shoe. When. considering the stepped up portions as such, Fig. 7 is to be used. These formations as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 would be more properly designated as stepped down portions but a `description of the shoe in an inverted position has been maintained throughout the specification.

When allof the formations just ldiscussed and shown in Fig. 7 have been eected and vulcanization is completed, the shoe is in condition for the removal of the top die plate I9. This is now done and a final finishing step is performed on K the shoe. Thisstep is the trimming of excess fabric `34 which projects out beyond the edge of the outer soie and is done with the center plate stili in place in order that it may serve as a base for cutting, any suitable agent such as `a knife 5 being used.

With the completionof the `cutting step, the final .demounting operations are concluded comprising the stripping of the shoe from the anvil member I4 and then withdrawing the shoey upl0 per 21 through the opening 25 in the center plate 24 and the shoe is completed as shown in section in Fig.8. Y

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that va- 15A rious modifications in the construction thereof my invention.

Havingl thus described my invention what I claim is: 20 1. An improved process of shoe manufacture comprising the producing of a shoe assembly by locating an inner sole memberand upper about a wooden last and lasting said upper member and attaching the skirt of said upper to the said 25 inner sole, the mounting of said shoe assembly in a die having a sole shaped anvil portion to receive said inner sole member and a die head portion recessed to receive a rubber composition outer sole member,.the interposing of a fabric 30 member adjacent a center plate member of said die located above said inner sole and having a sole shaped opening cut therethrough, the forcing of said shoe assembly against the said rubber composition to form a .rand from compressing a portion 'of said rubber composition and said fabric member into the opening in the said center plate and applying heat to vulcanize said shoe assembly and said rubber composition together while in a compressed state. o 2. An improved process of shoe manufacture comprising the producing of a shoe assembly by locating an inner sole member and upper about a last and lasting said upper member and attaching the skirt of said upper to the said inner 45 sole, the mounting of said shoe assembly removed from said last in a die having an anvil portion sole-shaped to receive said inner sole member and a die head portion recessed to receive a rubber composition outer sole member, the inter= 50 posing of a welt sole member adjacent a center plate element of said die located over said engaged skirt portion of the said upper and having a sole -shaped opening cut therethrough, the forcing oi. said shoe assembly `against the rubber com- 55 position to form a rand which fills in a portion of said rubber composition and a portion of said welt sole inthe center plate opening and around said engaged upper skirt portions, and the applying of heat to vulcanize said shoe assembly o and saidvrubber composition in its extruded state together.

CHARLES M. RIDDOCK. 

